McLEAN, Jean

Family Name:

McLean

Given Names:

Jean

Gender:

Female

Birth-Date:

3 October 1934

Death-Date:

Marital Status:

Married

Age Range:

30s-50s

Location:

VIC, Currum

Occupation:

Member of Parliament, Victorian Legislative Council

Primary Motivation:

Anti-Militarism, especially conscription

Reason for Court Appearance:

[1] Breach of Melbourne City Council by-law

[2] Breach of the Summary Offences Act

Court Name and Location:

[2] Unknown, probably Magistrates Court, Melbourne

[2] Magistrates Court, Melbourne

Court/ Tribunal Hearing Date:

[1] 17 July 1968

[2] 8 April 1971

Court Outcome:

[1] Dismissed on a technicality

[2] Sentenced to 14 days jail, Fairlea Women’s Prison

Military Event:

National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972

Further Information:

Jean McLean was born on 3 October 1934 in London. She was home- schooled. The family moved to Australia and lived in Currum a suburb of Melbourne. At the time of her activism during the Vietnam War she was married with two children. and Jean joined the Labor Party in 1965. In 1985 she was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council. She retired in 1999. She was the founder of the Save Our Sons Movement (SOS) in Melbourne, 1965-1973.

The Melbourne branch of SOS was active in supporting the rights of conscientious objectors and draft resisters (conscientious non-compliers) during the Vietnam War. It worked for the repeal of National service Act (NSA), the instrument of selective conscription. It also advocated for a change to the NSA to allow for conscientious objection to a particular war. In this case the Vietnam War. Some members formed a network of suburban safe-houses to help draft resisters evade the authorities. Its campaigns were non-violent and contributed to a larger movement dedicated to the same objectives. It had an advantage in that members were “ordinary” wives and mothers. Many wore hats and gloves and took their handbags to their protest activities.

Its activism included regular vigils in Melbourne City Square and the State Library. Members would stand in silent protest holding anti-war and conscription placards. Members also wore sashes to identify themselves. They also handed out draft registration forms and encouraged people to fill them out with fictious names. The aim was to overload the national service registration system. They also engaged in civil disobedience outside the Swan Street army barracks where intakes of young men reported to. The SOS ceased operating soon after the newly elected Labor government of December 1972 ended conscription and released conscientious objectors and draft resisters who had been imprisoned.

Jean was arrested and fined multiple times for her activism. On 17 July 1968 Jean together with another member of the SOS, Jo Maclaine-Cross, were charged under a Melbourne City Council (MCC) by-law. The by-law had not been invoked for a very long time. Jean and Jo were protesting outside the army barracks and distributing leaflets. It was a time of intake of conscripted army recruits. Jean’s legal counsel argued that the MCC had breached article 19 of the United Nations Convention on Human Rights. The case was eventually dismissed on a technicality.

Jean, together with Joan Coxsedge, Irene Miller, Chris Cathie and Jo Maclaine-Cross, all SOS members, were charged with willful trespass on government property under the Summary Offences Act. The property was an office of the Department of Labour and National Service. The court hearing was Thursday 8 April 1971, Maundy Thursday the day before Good Friday. They were handing out of anti-conscription leaflets to young men reporting for induction into the army. Joan and the others were sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment in Fairlea Woman’s Prison Melbourne, without the option of a fine. They served 11 days before being released. They became known as the “’Fairlea Five’. These jailing attracted opprobrium, verbal confrontation, and abuse. She and other SOS members were charged with being communists or communist sympathisers, anti-Australian, bad mothers and neglectful wives. It was suggested that Magistrate Foley had been leant on by the authorities to make an example of the five women. The Fairlea Five were released at 9.15am on 18 April 1971.They were taken to a welcoming rally at the Melbourne City Square. Jean spoke to the assembled multitude, Those splendid people who lasted out the vigil had as tough a time as we did. I congratulate them.

Jean helped organize safe houses for men who went “underground” to evade the authorities. She was also a great speaker to various groups including the unions, and in raising money to finance the activism. During 1968 she attended a Paris Conference representing Women of Belligerent Nations, that is, Australia. During 1969 at the invitation of Madame Cam she visited North Vietnam. In an interview conducted by Victorian Labor, Jean described the safe houses she established in Victoria and in other states and New Zealand. She said…Draft Resisters were moved regularly usually on a two or three weeks roster so as not to create a burden for the hosts. There were some who stayed in our family home but usually not for very long, no longer than a few days…Some of the Draft Resisters were whisked away interstate on boats. We asked for fake passports to get them overseas but it seemed that was not as we thought…. Our phones were tapped and I used to get death threats…One night I had the kids in the bath and realized someone was outside lighting matches, I told the kids to stay quiet and yelled out to the next door neighbours.

Jean, in a 2018 interview with Alexandra Peirce, said that SOS was first just against conscription. Some members were in favour of the Vietnam War but only if fought by volunteers. As the movement expanded most members adopted an attitude of opposition the Vietnam War. She also reflected on the success of SOS and said…And it was very successful, in part, because they could’nt really label us, you know. We started off being naïve – no, first we were communists. Then they decided we were’nt. Then we were naïve – and finally, they decided that we were respectable middle class women who objected to war…we never fought them. Always non violent.

Confirmatory Sources:

Interview with Alexandra Pierce, 31 July 2018 http://www.livingpeacemuseum.org.au/s/alpm/page/sos-jean-mclean accessed 26 January 2024

Interview with Victorian Labor, https://viclabor.com.au/jean-mclean/ accessed 26 January 2024

Interview for the documentary “hell No We Wont Go’, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2122163 accessed 29 January 2024

Collins, Carolyn. 2021. Save Our Sons: Women, Dissent and Conscription during the Vietnam War. Monash University Publishing, esp. chp. 10.

Canberra Times, 9 April 1971, p.1; 19 April 1971, p.9.

Tribune, 14 April 1971, p.1; 21 April 1971., p.12.